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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Noor Davis: Take 2: Who has the Pac-12's best defense? March 9, 2012

Will Noor Davis AND Jameis Winston be bringing a SE flare to the West
By Ted Miller and Kevin Gemmell

They say offense wins championships. They don't say that? Well, they say that in the Pac-12. And the two teams that have dominated Pac-12 play the past two seasons -- Oregon and Stanford -- have been dominant on offense.

But the Ducks and Cardinal also played solid-to-good defense the past two seasons. In other words, you can't be an elite team -- and you won't likely win the conference -- without a strong defense.

So which team has the best defense heading into 2012? Your humble -- and by humble we mean "huge-brained" -- Pac-12 bloggers offer two takes, which is why we call this "Take 2." 

Kevin Gemmell: Yeah, yeah ... the Stanford blogger is picking Stanford. Surprise, surprise. But when you look at all of the defenses in the conference, there really aren't any without at least a couple of holes. So in that situation, I'm deferring to the most basic principal of defense: Can you stop the run? And it's hard to argue that Stanford isn't at the top of that list -- at least on paper -- when you consider who the Cardinal have coming back and coming in.

First, the Cardinal have six of their front seven returning from last season -- including all-conference outside linebacker Chase Thomas and second-team all-conference defensive end Ben Gardner. Terrence Stephens is a rock in the middle, Trent Murphy is underrated for what he does opposite Thomas on the outside, and Jarek Lancaster and A.J. Tarpley developed nicely at both inside linebacker spots last season. So replacing Matt Masifilo (no easy task by the way) is the only immediate concern on the front seven. Developing depth behind them is the secondary concern, but an important one. It's depth that allowed them to successfully replace middle linebacker Shayne Skov when he went down with a season-ending knee injury.

Stanford was the only team in the conference that held opponents below 100 yards rushing per game on average. In fact, their 84.4 yards per game was 27 yards per game less than the No. 2 team, USC, at 111.4. And if Skov returns 100 percent healthy from injury, it will make them that much better against the run.

But like all teams, Stanford has its question marks -- specifically in the secondary, where it must fill two safety spots and develop depth at cornerback. Wayne Lyons returns from a foot injury, and head coach David Shaw has had no qualms about saying Lyons will emerge as one of the best cornerbacks in the country. No pressure there, though. Ed Reynolds is back in the safety mix -- after missing last season with an injury -- along with Devon Carrington and Jordan Richards, who both saw quality time last season at safety.

Then there are the youngsters, like linebacker James Vaughters. Last season, he was used primarily as a third-down pass-rush specialist. It will be interesting to see if the Cardinal keep him with his hand down, or give him more reps standing three yards deep. And a couple of freshmen to keep an eye on will be outside linebacker Noor Davis (Leesburg High School, Leesburg Florida) and cornerback Alex Carter. Both were ESPNU 150 players and could make an immediate impact right away.

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Listen live on my790am or www.my790am.com Saturday March 24, 2012.

Former Leesburg High School, Monmouth College (Monmouth, Illinois), Finland’s Kouvola Indians Standout and current Marburg Mercenaries in the southern division of the GFL player Matt Shepherd will make ...his first appearance on the Lake County Sports Show March 10, 2012.
Former Leesburg High School Standout Matt Shepherd at Monmouth College (Monmouth, Illionois)
Matt Shepherd, Shericka Ward (Former Leesburg High School Girls Basketball, Girls Track and Field, and current Villanova University Womens Track and Field Standout) , Wayne Hamilton (former Leesburg High School, University of Alabama and San Diego Chargers Football Standout), will be the featured guests along with the show host Billy Matthews (The Voice Of The Leesburg Yellow Jackets), Sonny Bronson (Belton Bail Bonds Scoreboard Show Host), Allison Crawford (Belton Bail Bonds Scoreboard Show Co-host) and Gerald Lacey (Carver Heights Quarterback Club Staff Writer).

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Matt Shepherd On The Lake County Sports Show
 
Resources

ESPN
Ted Miller and Kevin Gemmell
March 9, 2012

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Article provided by:
Gerald Lacey
Staff Writer
Carver Heights Quarterback Club
1986 Varsity Jackets Football Lettermen #82
Class of 1988 Leesburg High School
leesburgyellowjacketsfootball@yahoo.com
www.leesburgyellowjacketsfootball.com
















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